Pyrophobia
by soupcan
Summary: After the Agni Kai, Zuko felt betrayed by his father and lashed out... and ended up in the Boiling Rock. Enter Sokka, looking for his father and getting a culture clash as well. Eventual Sokka/Zuko.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Do I need to be starting another story? No. But I've been working on this one for a while and I just couldn't help it... *sigh*  
This does not follow the original storyline! It's my little branch out into 'what if' territory. So it's probably going to be a bit different than the original, especially with regards to violence. Even the past Avatars told Aang to kill the Fire Lord, so it makes sense to me that the world as a whole would be a bit more violent than what we saw in the show, which centered around Aang, who is such a pacifist.  
Anyway, I'll state it now, this will probably become Sokka/Zuko. So no complaining on that front. I warned you.  
On with the show.

* * *

He hated this place. Oh, that was the point; after all, it _was_ a prison, but what he couldn't quite figure out was _why_ he hated it so much. It wasn't the fact that he was sleep-deprived, or the way he was starved to mere skin and bones. It wasn't even the way he wasn't allowed to firebend, though that played a large role in it- it felt like the driving force behind his life had been taken away. But that alone wouldn't be enough to break him. No, what would break him would be the silence.

The monotony was unbearable. He knew his cell like the back of his hand- no, better, since he hadn't bothered looking at his hands in a while. Perhaps that would be up next.

He'd been sitting in his cell for Agni knows how long. He couldn't see the sun, and the only way he could tell time was by the changing of the torches, and he had long since lost count of that.

If he had to guess, he would guess that he had been in there a few months, maybe as long as a year. But for all he knew it had been as long as two. A long time in which the only sound he could hear was that of the guard changing the torches- once every three hours, with the next one in about forty minutes or so- and that of his own frenzied thoughts.

Well, sometimes frenzied. Other times he would be in a state so catatonic that that one would think him comatose. It was always during those times that they would give him food and water, either then or while he slept, as if they were afraid that he would try to escape. He almost snorted at the thought- as if he had the energy to escape!

He just wanted to see another person. Was that really so much to ask? Just that, and he would die peacefully.

Unfortunately, they didn't seem too keen on letting him see anyone. Or letting him die. A shame, really.

It was a rather fitting punishment, he supposed. After all, he had nearly killed the Fire Lord.

The thought almost made him laugh- almost. His throat, rough from disuse, only issued a harsh coughing sound. The noise made him jump.

His greatest regret? That he hadn't finished the job cleanly. Then he would have gotten away unscathed, instead of being arrested by Azula after his father had stalled him.

Still, he supposed it was a fitting punishment for the infamous banished prince to end up in the Boiling Rock, the Fire Nation's most infamous prison. Not only that, but he was the only person in the entire facility put in such complete solitary confinement.

Ah, well… Even if he didn't get to practice firebending- the shackles rather severely restricted his movements, so he could do no more than summon a small, simple flame- he had found himself with nothing better to do than meditate on his breathing. And since breath was the basis of all firebending, he had achieved a harmony with his inner fire like nothing he had ever felt before. Now if only his body was strong enough to support this harmony… Maybe the he could break out. But he hadn't eaten enough in months and was as weak and helpless as a child.

Light, padded footsteps… Ah! That was the torch being changed. He did wish he knew how many of those he had been there through…

But no, all he knew about his stay at the prison was what he had seen on the inside of his little cell.

If only the monotony would end…

* * *

"Sokka, what are you doing?" Katara shrieked.

"I think that it would be perfectly obvious what I'm doing," Sokka retorted, hardly pausing in his packing. "I'm going to rescue Dad."

After the botched attack on the fire nation, Sokka, wracked with guilt, had poured everything he had into finding where his father could have been taken. After questioning a couple of rather intoxicated fire nation soldiers in a bar, he had discovered where the most important war prisoners were taken: the Boiling Rock.

"You don't even know he's there!" his sister protested.

"Katara, I've heard that there are water tribe people there. Do you really think that dad isn't there? And besides, the place is in the middle of a boiling lake. You're a waterbender. You shouldn't have any problem taking these guys on with that much water at your disposal. Especially not on a full moon and with Aang to help you."

"You think I'm letting Aang come on this little venture? Not a chance!"

"Listen up, Sugar Queen. He'll be fine, and so will I," Toph said nonchalantly, finishing off the last of her breakfast porridge with a satisfied belch.

"You're not coming either!"

"Of course I am! And you are too, aren't you, Aang?"

Aang, who had been playing with Momo up until that moment, took one look at the two incredibly irate girls behind him and held up his hands, backing away slowly. "There's no way I'm getting involved in whatever you two are arguing about."

Katara turned back to Toph. "See, he's not coming."

Unfortunately for Aang, this caught his interest. "Coming where?"

"Nowhere!" Katara yelled.

Aang cowered in fear, slinking away. He ended up asking Sokka, who convinced him to go, which caused even more arguing. Eventually, though, it was decided that everyone would go on the little rescue mission. Of course, by then the sun was starting to set, so their departure had to be delayed a day.

"Hey, Snoozles, how long will it take to get to this place anyway?" asked Toph, not bothering to look up from where she was holding a lychee nut just out of Momo's reach.

"Hm?" Sokka grunted through a mouthful of seal jerky.

Toph bent a rock at his head. "How long 'til we get there?"

He swallowed his overly large mouthful painfully. "A couple of weeks. Maybe a month, at the most, if we hit some bad weather."

"A month? We don't have that much time!" Katara protested.

"What, we need to find a firebending teacher for Aang? Is that it? Where better to find a firebender who hates the fire nation than in a fire nation prison?"

Katara was silent, no longer having any reasonable-sounding objections that she could voice. Toph, however, spoke up in her stead.

"Why's it gonna take so long? Is it really that far away?"

Sokka cringed. He didn't want to admit it, but… "I'm not quite sure _exactly_ where this place is… The guy I asked was a little bit drunk…"

Katara threw her hands up into the air. "Great! Now we're taking directions from drunkards! This is a new low for you, Sokka. You're going to get us lost in the fire nation based on directions from a drunk man!"

"Even the smallest chance that we'll find Dad is well worth the risk!"

Aang tried to placate the two, saying, "You guys really shouldn't be fighting like this."

"Stay out of this, Aang," Sokka said warningly, knowing full well how volatile his sister could be.

At the same time, Katara began yelling at the poor monk. "Stay out of this! You have no idea what's been done to this family, with Mom dead and Dad always gone! So butt out!"

"Don't attack him like that," Toph snapped. "He's just trying to keep you two from fighting. Honestly, Katara, whenever you're around you start fighting with someone!"

Katara stopped in her tracks, looking as though she'd been slapped. After a moment, tears welled up in her eyes. She turned and fled, sobbing.

"We probably ought to go after her," Toph put in unenthusiastically.

"Yeah," Aang agreed, but he made no move to do so.

"Don't bother," Sokka replied. "She'll come back when she finishes having a good cry."

Away from the camp, Katara ran blindly through the woods. She didn't understand why everybody seemed so set on attacking her. Even Aang was siding with her brother against her! She was so upset that she didn't even bother looking where she was going. Later, she would wish she had, for she ran straight into a fire nation soldier.

He leered at her and, while she struggled to reorient herself, took some leather restraints and bound her head and foot. She tried to struggle, to put up at least a decent fight, but succeeded only in hurting herself as the restraints dug into her skin.

"Let go of me!" she screamed desperately. "Someone help! Sokka! Aang!"

The soldier backhanded her, silencing her protests, and threw her over his shoulder. He marched through the woods for a long while, though Katara wasn't sure how long, as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Eventually she spotted something through the trees- a flash of red. As they neared the object, she could see that it was the sun reflecting off of armor. They had reached the camp.

They entered the largest tent without much ado, and Katara was thrown to the floor. The soldier snapped to attention, bringing his hand up to salute.

"Admiral Zhao, sir," the soldier greeted in a surprisingly young voice. Katara would have thought him in his late twenties at least, but by his voice he was just leaving his teens. "I brought the Avatar's waterbender, sir."

Zhao turned around from where he was seated at the other end of the tent. "Your name, soldier?" he asked.

"Private Yung, sir."

"Well, Private, you have done me a great service by locating this girl. You have my thanks. Dismissed."

Yung saluted smartly and quickly departed, though not without a look of disappointment at receiving no more than thanks, leaving Katara standing face to face with Zhao. She tried to squirm away – his gaze was incredibly threatening – but her bonds held her still.

Zhao smirked at her as he noticed her discomfort. "Hello, girl. I believe that you have some information I need." Katara shivered. "Don't worry, you won't be mistreated. Just tell us where your friends are and we'll let you go."

She quailed, but managed to whisper "no" with her remaining courage.

His face took on a murderous glare that made his earlier smirk seem friendly in comparison. "Where are they?" he thundered.

"I- I won't tell you!" she yelled back.

He leaned back and smiled, and that one action froze her heart more than anything she had ever seen before. She prayed that she would have the fortitude to withstand whatever he had in store, but she doubted it.

She closed her eyes and tried to hold back tears as several soldiers entered the tent and dragged her away. _Sokka, Aang… Forgive me. I'm not sure how long I can hold out…

* * *

_Sokka sneezed. He was stuck trying to do laundry, since Katara hadn't come back from her little crying fit yet. At this point, he wasn't sure if he should be angry that she'd been gone so long, or worried for the same reason. It wasn't like her to disappear so suddenly, especially without returning.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. As his mind had drifted from the scrubbing, he had splashed water all over himself. Sighing, he pulled off his shirt and leggings, hanging them up to dry with the rest of the laundry.

He turned around and spotted Aang. The younger boy was running toward him, waving his arms wildly and panting for breath.

"What is it?" he asked wearily. Sometimes he just couldn't deal with Aang's bursts of energy.

"The fire nation has Katara! I was looking in the woods and I found her water holder and she wouldn't leave that behind and the plants were squished down so she must've struggled and-"

"Aang," Sokka interrupted, "hold on a minute. Breathe. Now, where exactly did you see this?"

"Over there," he replied, pointing behind him. "About a hundred yards in, maybe? Do you think she's okay? Where could they have taken her?"

Ignoring the younger boy, Sokka grabbed his boomerang and one of the Kyoshi warrior fans – a parting gift from Suki – and stuffed it into the waistband of his undergarments. So equipped, he followed Aang into the woods. Toph caught up with them a moment later- he could only assume that she had overheard their conversation from wherever she had been.

Sokka winced as they arrived at the scene. There had definitely been some sort of struggle taking place here; the plants were rather squished, and he thought he saw a couple locks of Katara's hair glistening in the sunlight.

"Oh, Yue…" he moaned, falling to his knees.

"So what now? You're just going to give up?" Toph scoffed acerbically.

"Of course not!" he snapped. "But there's no way I can rescue both Katara and Dad at the same time!" He fell silent, thinking.

"So we split up," said Toph matter-of-factly.

Sokka sighed. "Aang, I need you to take Appa and see if you can find the firebenders. Scout out the area, look at the size of their force, and then come straight back. We'll decide what to do from there."

Aang nodded, tears still evident in his eyes. He practically flew back to the camp (which may have actually been the case, Sokka realized in hindsight, with him being an airbender), and mere moments later Appa soared into the sky.

"There he goes," Sokka mumbled.

"Yeah, I see that," Toph replied.

Sokka was so distraught that he didn't even notice what Toph had said, avoiding her usual trap of blind jokes. They both walked back to camp, painfully aware of their own thoughts and fears.

Aang was back an hour or so before dusk. Appa flew into a clearing and immediately lay down to recuperate. Aang slid off his back and staggered over to where Sokka was building a fire. He plopped down on the ground, sighing.

"They've got thirty or so men, with then of them on guard at any given time. Two men are always guarding Katara, sometimes a few more. Zhao is in command."

"You mean that funny-looking bastard who's chased us all over?" asked Toph.

"Yeah… Wait, how do you know he's funny-looking?" Aang asked, confused.

Ignoring Aang's obliviousness and Toph's attempt to lighten the mood, Sokka asked, "Toph, does that sound like something you and Aang can handle?"

"Easily. Why?"

"In that case, I'm going to rescue Dad. I only ever get in the way in these bending fights anyway. You're sure you can handle it?"

"How weak do you think I _am_, Snoozles?"

He chose not to gratify that with a response, ignoring her scandalized tone. He left first thing in the morning, taking Appa and praying that both rescues went off without a hitch. Oh, if only…

* * *

If Zuko had thought that he hated the Boiling Rock before, he was sorely mistaken. Something had changed. The guards now entered his cell freely, if only to torture him. The only reason that he could think of was that Azula had finally gained some measure of ruling power. His father enjoyed more passive methods of punishment; Azula liked to torture. She found it fun, especially when she did it herself.

A rattle of the door handle shook him free of his musings- the sound brought with it a deep wave of despair. He struggled in vain to keep it from showing on his face. He had company.

He brought his hands in front of him and took up a basic firebending stance- his shackles were gone, since there was obviously no sport in torturing such a heavily incapacitated prisoner- and waited for the guard to get out from behind the cell door and present him with a target. There! The guard's hand.

He sent a ball of fire at his target; its owner fell to the ground, screaming with a mixture of pain and fury. Another guard jumped over the prone form as the door slowly swung open, wrestling Zuko to the ground.

"No firebending, you little bastard!" the man growled, striking his prisoner across the face.

As he struck, Zuko felt the man's center of gravity shift sideways, so he rolled, sending the guard sprawling across the floor. The prince pushed himself up quickly, kicking out and sending a floor-level wave of flame at his opponent.

By then the guard with the burned hand had gotten up, and he stepped in, sending the flames harmlessly off to the sides and lashing out with flames of his own.

Zuko ducked, but was thrown against the wall by a burst of flame from another guard just entering the cell.

"To the cooler?" asked one uncertainly- he had to be new.

Another, this one female, snorted. "In a while. Let's have some fun first."

"I get him before he passes out," said Burned Hand. "Little bitch _burned_ me."

Starting to recover from his collision with the wall, Zuko opened his mouth and blew fire onto the trio. The newbie and the woman diverted the flames, but Burned Hand, who had stood with his back to Zuko, dropped to the ground, shrieking. He rolled, trying to put out the fire, but it consumed him. After a moment, he stopped thrashing, but the pungent odor of burned flesh and hair lingered in the air.

The newbie turned away and threw up, but he woman threw a knife that struck Zuko in the shoulder. He gasped as it sunk in, rendering his left arm all but useless because his shoulder was ablaze and he couldn't feel anything beyond that consuming pain.

He felt movement and could tell that they were taking him somewhere, though he couldn't tell where. But when they reached their destination, he heard the heavy clank of a thick door being pulled aside. He was thrown into a small room, and as he heard the heavy sound of the door being closed he though to himself that it was a rather final sound and he prayed to Agni that they would just let him die.

After a while, he noticed that his shoulder no longer hurt so much, and he was relieved. Even when he realized that he could no longer feel his hands or feet, he was fine, because it seemed like such a painless way to die.

It was then that he noticed how beautifully warm his still-flowing blood was against his skin, so he reached up and pulled the knife out, using only his sight as he could no longer feel his hands to do so. A fresh rush of blood coated his arm and chest, beautiful in its warmth.

He felt himself becoming light-headed and happily embraced sleep…

…Only to later wake up again in his cell, his shoulder crudely bandaged and the scent of burning flesh still fresh upon the air. He gagged at the smell and tried to push himself up, but fell back as his injured arm gave way. Unable to find the energy to move, he resigned himself to counting the stones in the ceiling once again.

* * *

**A/N:** So there's the first chapter... Please review, with concrit or praise or, hell, even tell me how terrible it was if that's how you feel. I could use the feedback... Please?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wow. I really didn't expect so many people to be interested in this story. A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are amazing!  
And I got a lot of questions about what happened before Zuko ended up in the Boiling Rock. As far as those go, you'll just have to wait and see. ^.^ (I think I'll get there in a few chapters... We'll see how it goes. I'm still not entirely sure where this is going, unfortunately... *sweatdrops*)

Now, on with the story!

* * *

Sokka was lost, not that he would ever admit it to anyone else. He'd gotten a few soldiers drunk to the point where they sung like birds and got them to tell him more exactly where the prison was, not that "About thirty miles north of the swamp" was a lot of help, but how much could you expect from a drunk? After about a week of questioning, he finally got something solid enough to tell him where the prison was. There was some sort of city nearby that should be relatively easy to find, apparently.

…Or maybe not, considering that he had no idea where he was.

He sighed, spurring his stolen komodo-rhino into movement. "You could move faster, you know," he told it irritably. It grunted at him in response and continued at the same unhurried pace.

The area he was in was ridiculously humid- the air seemed positively _saturated_ with water. His body, unused to the combination of heat and humidity, tried to compensate, which meant that he was _pouring_ sweat. Which, of course, failed to evaporate quickly enough because the air was already so full of moisture.

"I just had to travel, didn't I?" he lamented. His liberated komodo-rhino merely grunted at him again. "I wonder why it's so humid?"

He stopped, an idea forming in his brain. The Boiling Rock was so named because it was in the middle of a boiling lake, right? Well, if the water was boiling, it would turn into a gas and enter the air…

His forehead met his palm with a loud slap. It was so obvious. He was close.

Sure enough, after a few more hours of riding, he caught sight of a massive rise of land with steam pouring from the top.

He quickly drew closer, and as nightfall approached he prepared himself to infiltrate the building. He had his boomerang, his sword, some water and food, some armor, and a small collapsible canoe, along with a few other odds and ends such as rope and a hunting knife.

As he climbed toward the lake, he groaned as he realized that his komodo-rhino wasn't going to make it to the top. It started walking up the slope, but once it hit the loose rocks higher up it would take one step forward and slide back two.

"Move, you stupid thing!" he shouted. The komodo-rhino flicked an ear, letting out a groan. Sokka's eyebrow twitched as he noticed the flies that were swarming around the animal's head. As if in response to his frustration, the animal laid down, refusing to walk any further.

"Fine, you stupid animal!" he cried, throwing his hands into the air and snatching his things from the animal's back. He stormed off, shoving it with his foot back down the mountain- not that it moved far, given how much more it weighed than Sokka. It glared at him reproachfully and left.

Sokka grunted as he shouldered his pack- his collapsible canoe was unbelievably heavy. "You'd better be there, Dad, or else you'll be in trouble when I find you. I'm not carrying all this shit up this gigantic hill for nothing, or you'll be sorry," he muttered.

"Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and all that rot," he said, stepping forward…

…And wrinkling his nose as he heard a wet, squishing sound underneath his foot.

"Eeeeeeww!" he squealed, jumping way and scraping his shoe up against a nearby rock. "You disgusting animal! I hope you trip on the way down!"

"Ugh," he said in disgust, shouldering his pack from where it had flown when he jumped.

He had a bad feeling about this trip. That first step just seemed like a bad omen…

Sure enough, as he approached the fortress he noticed an abnormally high number of guards on the walls. He cursed softly, trying not to attract their attention. Unfortunately, as he neared the top of the wall, he kicked a loose rock, wincing as it fell from the staircase and struck the stone below.

One of the guards turned to face him. "Oh, hell!" he exclaimed, vaulting onto the top of the wall, unsheathing his sword as he landed. The guard shot a stream of fire at him, but he ducked to one side. Taking advantage of his opponent being off balance from striking, he lunged forward before the other could get back into a position to defend. His sword bit into the guard's neck, sliding just under the helmet and releasing a spray of blood.

The guard fell, the armor making a loud crash as it hit the stone wall.

"Ling, you alright?" came a voice.

"Better be. I bet the pussy just tripped," muttered another.

"I'm fine!" Sokka yelled back, trying to sound like he was embarrassed. His voice came out with only a slight edge of hysteria, so he considered it fairly successful.

One of the other guards snorted, but it seemed like they were all happy to let the matter rest.

Sokka looked down at the corpse with a mix of pity and distaste, staring at it for a moment before moving on, wiping his sword and resheathing it as he did.

He crept through the halls like a ghost, his footsteps making only the softest tap against the hard floor- the only sign of his passing. He all but ran across the open yard, deserted though it was. The moon blazed down on him and he prayed that Yue watched him and gave him her blessing.

To his frustration, though, he found nothing resembling a section of war prisoners. The only people he found were Fire Nation citizens, all who were awake as docile as sheep, having long ago been broken.

Eventually, he came upon a section where the cells were closed off with solid iron doors, doors without bars or windows, solid and sturdy. These cells, it seemed, were meant to hold people in indefinitely. Even the strongest would be unable to break out of these.

He slid back door after door, the deadbolts holding them shut heavy enough to make him struggle. After opening around twenty of them to find nothing inside, he began to simply kick the doors and see if there was any response. He was at this for what seemed like hours before he got one. He kicked on this door, not expecting anything to happen – as nothing had happened for the past hundred or so – but instead he heard a slight shuffling inside. Throwing caution to the wind, he pushed open the door-

-only to push it shut immediately as a punch flew by his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled. "I guess I _won't_ let you out!" He had begun walking way when he heard a voice.

"No… wait. I thought you were one of the guards," the prisoner said weakly.

Nervously, Sokka pulled the door open again. The sight that met his eyes was shocking, to say the least.

The prisoner was a youth, probably about his own age, but malnourishment had made him slight for his age, and Sokka swore that he could see the outlines of bones through the boy's minimal flesh. The boy had also been abused; bruises littered his skin. A horrendous burn scar stood out against his pale face, highlighting feral yellow eyes. Unkempt black hair ringed his face.

"You're staring," the prisoner said bluntly.

Sokka had the grace to look ashamed, but couldn't quite tear his eyes way. To distract from this, he spoke. "I'm Sokka. And you?"

"Zuko."

It seemed to him that Zuko was expecting a reaction to his name. He wondered what he guy had done to make himself so infamous that he expected people to know who he was.

"Do you know where the war prisoners are kept?" he asked.

Zuko snorted. "Well, aren't _you_ in the wrong place. This area is solitary confinement. I'm the only one for a ways around." His voice was hoarse, probably from lack of use but possibly from the finger-shaped bruises that ringed his neck.

"Can you show me?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"As long as you take me with you when you leave this shithole."

Well, his canoe would fit two people comfortably, three or four in a squeeze, so it should be all right… "Sure," he said aloud.

Zuko limped out of the cell, Sokka following. They were, he noticed to his chagrin, retracing the path he had taken to get there. After a while, they deviated from that path, following twisting passages until Sokka was completely lost.

Eventually, the silence grew too oppressive and one of them had to start a conversation. Having already been exposed to the prisoner's bluntness, Sokka figured that one had to be him.

"So… What're you in for?" he asked. Hey, so it was a cliché, but you could always rely on the classics.

"I tried to kill the Fire Lord."

"Yeah, take a number." That received a glare. "Hey, I'm just saying…"

An eye roll this time.

"You're not very talkative, are you?" prodded Sokka.

"Not generally, no. Who're you looking for?"

"My father."

"Why?"

"He was captured leading a raid against the fire nation," Sokka said, a hint of pride creeping into his voice.

"No, _why_?"

Sokka stopped dead, unable to believe what he had heard. "How can you ask that? He's my father! That should be reason enough! What do you think, that I need more of an incentive?"

Zuko continued to look at him strangely.

"Are you saying that you wouldn't go get your father if he was in here?"

"Of course I wouldn't get him. He _deserves_ to rot in here."

"_What the hell is wrong with you?_" Sokka exploded. His fingers twitched, wanting to form into a fist. He controlled his anger, though, and willed his hand still through some miracle. "Look, I don't know what's wrong with your attitude, but once we get off this island we split ways." _Angry jerk-face._

Zuko pretended not to care, instead continuing to walk on silently.

Shouts rang out, and there was a sudden pounding of feet.

"Damn. Sounds like they found that guard I killed. Looks like we'll have to fight our way out," Sokka groaned.

"I'm guessing you're from the water tribe, with all that blue," Zuko mused.

"Of course I am! Born, raised, and can't wait to return. What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means your father should be in this section of the prison."

The water tribe boy perked up immediately. "Really?" He craned his neck around, trying to look into the cells, as these had small, barred windows set in the doors.

Cell after cell came up empty. He noticed Zuko standing there awkwardly and snapped, "Well, look on that side!"

_Clang!_

"Found him," Zuko said flatly, gesturing to a cell with dented bars.

"What happened?"

"Tried to punch me through the bars."

"Well, you do look fire nation."

Zuko only dignified this by snorting. Sokka, opening the cell, was far too busy to notice. He was straining to open the door, his arms too tired to move such a tremendous weight. First he tried simply pushing forward, then turned and pushed with his back, and still nothing happened. Zuko watched him struggle for a moment, privately amused. After noticing that the other boy was making absolutely no progress, he finally took pity on him.

"Use your legs," he advised.

"What?" Sokka asked. "You do it, if you're so clever." As soon as that popped out of his mouth, he looked the former prisoner over and realized just how little muscle – or fat, or flesh of any sort – the other boy had. The other would never be able to move such an enormous weight. So he shut his mouth and pushed, using his legs. The door creaked, unwilling to relinquish its prisoner, and then gave way.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the cliffie, but I couldn't find another good place to end this chapter...  
**_Please_ review**, oh wonderful people... It encourages me to write more!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hello! Thanks to all of you for the fabulous reviews I've been getting! (And for pointing out the continuity problems... I'm amazed- some of you seem to have though about this fic more than I have...) So a gigantic thanks to all of you! The reviews have definitely helped me get off my butt and post this!

* * *

Hakoda blinked as light streamed into his darkened cell. Sokka stood in front of him, grinning like an idiot, before smothering him with an enormous hug.

Zuko backed away, not wanting to be near the older man. Sure, Sokka vouched for him, but that didn't mean anything. Just a few years ago Zuko would have done anything for his father. How the times changed… Though he still would have given anything to go back to when he was blissfully unaware of his father's cruelty. When he thought Ozai was a god.

But no, he had learned his lesson. He would watch the water tribe man carefully. He refused to be fooled again.

The arrival of several guards ripped through his reflections like a sword through tissue paper. One of them neared him – he lashed out, luckily managing to catch the guard in the neck, just below the helmet. The guard dropped, throat swelling shut.

Another guard sent a blast of fire at him. He sidestepped easily, unwilling to bend the fire away because he had not practiced in so long.

While the guard was distracted with Zuko, Sokka grabbed one of the torches – this one thankfully unlit – from the wall and brandished it like a sword. At first he misjudged the weight of the torch and caught the guard in the knee, hearing the sickening crack of bone. Immediately afterward, he hit the guard's helmet, effectively stunning them.

Hakoda struggled with the last guard, dodging as a stream of fire flew by his chest. He jumped as another streamed below his feet.

"Dad, catch!" Sokka shouted, tossing the torch.

Hakoda snatched it out of the air quickly. As he turned to catch it, though, a blast of fire brushed his other arm. He groaned in pain, but swung the torch around and thrust forward, catching the guard in the helmet. The firebender dropped to the ground, stunned.

"Dad!" Sokka yelled, running over.

"It's all right. Don't worry. It's not bad."

"But-"

"It could be," Zuko interrupted. "If you don't put some salve on it – or at least clean it – soon, then it's going to get infected."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "And where do you expect us to get anything to do that?"

"Well, there _is_ a lake full of boiling water conveniently located nearby," Zuko said dryly.

Sokka glared, but nodded.

Hakoda gestured toward the scarred boy. "Who is this?"

"'This' can answer for himself," he snapped. "My name is Zuko, and your son is getting me out of here in return for helping him find you."

Hakoda raised an eyebrow, obviously inquiring about the wisdom of breaking out a prisoner – after all, he had to have done something to warrant being imprisoned in the first place, right? He conveniently forgot about war prisoners and the other unjustly imprisoned people when it came to protecting his children.

Sokka shrugged in response, downplaying the threat. He honestly didn't know whether Zuko should be considered dangerous or not. Probably, given that he was a prisoner, but maybe he was only a threat to fire nation people…?

…Nope, not likely.

"Don't stand there like an idiot," Zuko snapped.

Sokka jumped slightly at the harsh voice, realizing that he had spaced out momentarily. Not good, he though to himself. You're in a maximum-security fire nation prison with so many guards that you couldn't swing a dead cat-bear without hitting one, and you're spacing out. Not to mention that you're traveling with an escaped prisoner who, for all you know, is planning to murder you in your sleep.

Still, he obeyed the command, following Zuko through another maze of passageways that left him hopelessly disoriented.

"Which side did you leave the boat on?" Hakoda asked.

Sokka stared at his dad in amazement. "How'd you know that I came here in a boat?"

Zuko snorted. "You have to cross a boiling lake to reach the prison. That doesn't leave too many options."

"Sure it does!" Sokka protested defensively. "I could have flown!"

Hakoda muttered something to the effect of "Which orifice did you pull _that_ from?" and Zuko's mouth twitched. Slightly.

There was silence for a while, so Hakoda spent the time thinking about the scarred prisoner they seemed to have picked up. The boy was very closed off, but that was to be expected of someone who had spent time in a prison. He seemed to be a good fighter, but that could also be related to the prison (whether cause or effect, though, the water tribesman wasn't sure).

There was something wrong with the picture, though, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was. A scarred, violent prisoner was hardly a novel concept.

And then it hit him. The boy was too young to be in such a secure prison. The Boiling Rock didn't have common criminals – it was full of serial killers and rapists, and alongside them the nobility who had gotten too hungry for power. It was a place full of sociopaths and traitors.

The boy didn't fit the profile for a traitor – fire nation nobles didn't end up scarred so badly. Plus he couldn't see the traitor's brand that served as a marker to forever identify those who had committed treason.

And if the boy wasn't a traitor…

A chill washed over him.

"Are you alright, Dad?" Sokka asked, noticing his father's sudden shiver and the resulting goosebumps.

"I'm fine," Hakoda answered, smiling at his son before dropping the expression as he turned to face the prisoner. "Why were you here, Zuko?"

Zuko's brow raised a bit, and Hakoda couldn't decide if it was a 'why are you asking, you insensitive prick?' or an 'I know why you're asking, and I resent the implication, you insensitive prick.' Of course with such a blank mask, it was nearly impossible to guess, but if forced, Hakoda would have chosen the latter.

"…I tried to kill the Fire Lord," the boy finally replied.

Hakoda relaxed visibly. That would explain the lack of the traitor's brand – it was too serious an offense for officials to bother branding him. The giant scar was probably the more obvious replacement for the brand. Something else bothered him, though…

"Weren't you a little young for that?" Sokka asked skeptically. "You can't be more than what, eighteen?"

Hakoda couldn't have put it better himself.

"Age doesn't really matter. I had the motivation. That was it. And I'm seventeen, I think- I've been in here for about two years."

Seventeen? That was only Sokka's age. Oh, La. He had to fight back bile at a vision of Sokka in this child's place, at how different his son would be.

After a little longer, he could finally see the boat, and it was a welcome distraction from his thoughts. They were just getting down to the beach when several more guards showed up.

"I found them!" one shouted, sending a whip of fire out at them, just missing Sokka's head as the water tribe boy ducked out of the way, partially due to skill and partially due to slipping on a rock.

Quickly regaining his balance, Sokka threw his boomerang. It flew off into the distance with a faint whistling noise. The guards immediately disregarded it as it flew past them, but it soon came hurtling back, hitting one of the guards in the back of the head hard enough to knock them out, even with the helmet.

Hakoda still had the torch, and was leading two of the guards on a deadly little dance. After a moment, he managed to slip the torch past one's defenses, catching them in the faceplate hard enough to crack it. The guard fell back in agony, grabbing the torch in the process. Hakoda tried to pull it free, but it stuck in the guard's grip, leaving him open for the other to attack. He had braced himself for the impact of the fiery fist, but he fire nation man fell to the ground.

Sokka smiled, holding up his trusty boomerang again.

They retreated to the boat, and were just a little ways into the water when they heard one more pair of feet running toward them, undoubtedly brought by the first guard's yelling.

The man paused at the edge of the beach in frustration, then grinned evilly as an idea occurred. He brought his fingertips together, then back apart, creating an arc of blazing white light. He bent it back behind him, and then thrust one arm forward, letting the light leap from his fingertips and toward the boat.

In that split second, Hakoda realized that they had nowhere to go.

Suddenly, he was shoved out of the way. Zuko stood in front of him, catching the lightning with his own fingertips, drawing it back towards his chest, and extending one delicate, shaking arm forward…

The lightning exploded from his fingertips, racing back to the shore. Zuko fell backwards, unconscious.

Hakoda stared in horror. The boy was a firebender, a danger to everyone. He had to go – there was no way he could be left around Sokka.

And if he was a firebender, there was no way he would have tried to kill the Fire Lord, which mean that he was in the Boiling Rock for some other, more ominous reason. Like murdering innocents – age be damned, this boy was a menace.

But then Hakoda looked down. Zuko lay there unconscious, looking far too defenseless. He was positively emaciated, with dark rings under his eyes, his face gaunt but finally relaxed, making him seem years younger. It also made him look vulnerable, and that was what really pulled at Hakoda's heart strings.

The boy did save their lives, after all.

Sokka, meanwhile, was in shock, and had yet to close his mouth after that display. Only one thing seemed to be running through his mind: _firebender_, and that was accompanied by a wave of anger and fear.

The boat jarred as it struck the far shore, shaking Sokka from his thoughts. He looked up and noticed that the guard had been struck by the return lightning. The guard's body was charred and still smoldering slightly.

He climbed out of the boat stiffly, following his father onto the shore. He continued to walk, though, while his father turned back.

"What are you doing?" Sokka hissed. "He's a firebender! The scum of the planet! And an angry jerk-face!"

Hakoda sighed. "I know, Sokka. But he saved our lives, and we owe it to him not to leave him here."

Sokka knew that his father was right, but he wasn't happy about it. "Fine," he muttered. "He leaves once he's well. Not a minute later. But how are we gonna take him with us?"

Hakoda bent down and picked the unconscious boy up in his arms. "He's not exactly heavy," he commented. "You get to carry him in an hour or two."

* * *

**A/N:** ...Hopefully you like? Please don't forget to leave a review and let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I live! Sorry it's been such a ridiculously long time, but real life is a bitch. Hopefully the next chapter should come out a bit sooner...  
And a huge thank you to all the people who reviewed! If it wasn't for you guys, this chapter probably would not have made it out for a few more months...

* * *

Sokka made a face, wishing that he had brought his komodo-rhino all the way up the blasted hill, even if it had been slipping. He led the way down the hill, moving quickly, sure that soldiers from the Boiling Rock would be following. The place had never had a successful break before, from what he had heard, and its overseer wouldn't want to ruin that record.

But hey, he'd gotten his dad back, it was slightly overcast and would probably rain soon, which would make them harder to track, and they were moving downhill. Life was good.

Minus Katara being kidnapped, finding out that the extra weight he had picked up could firebend, and being chased by fire nation soldiers. And the fact that he had scuffed up and bloodied his boomerang. And bruised his hand, his leg, his chest, his back...

Okay, life kind of sucked when put in that sort of perspective. Damn, he _had_ to go and ruin that happy moment, didn't he?

...Wait a minute. He'd left one of his packs back in the boat, which he had ditched in order to move faster. Oh, he still had the essentials—extra water, rope, bison whistle, etc.—but he was missing something. MEAT.

That's right, his meat was in the pack he left behind. Upon realizing this, he died a little inside.

It started raining, making them slide in the mud most of the way down, until they were forced to take shelter under a large overhang of rock.

Hakoda set Zuko down, never having made good on his threat to make Sokka carry the firebender. Sokka stated pulling things out of his remaining pack—thin blankets, some flatbreads, two skins of water. Meanwhile, Zuko stirred as his body came in contact with the cold stone floor.

Neither of the water tribe men noticed, as they had seen some dead trees not too far away, and were gathering the wood. Their shelter had the perfect place for a fire, enclosed on all sides but one, and that one facing further back. It would allow the fire access to air without giving away their hiding place to any soldiers that were nearby.

Zuko sat up slowly and, not knowing where he was immediately, looked around. He noticed two other men over in the edge of the woods, but saw nobody else nearby. That was good. He didn't want to be seen unless it was necessary—while few people knew who he was by sight, since the royal family had kept him as secret as possible, considering him a disgrace, those few people were all in the Fire Nation. He had to be careful.

A traitorous little voice in his head had to point out that not _everyone_ who could recognize him by sight was in the Fire Nation. His uncle had settled in the Earth Kingdom after the banishment. Zuko had chosen to go back and confront his father. He and Iroh had fought over the decision, eventually each going their own way. Now, not a day passed when Zuko didn't wish at least once that he had gone with Uncle to the Earth Kingdom. It would have been different, but he was sure that he could have been happy. With Uncle around, what else could have happened?

He hoped the old man was all right.

"You'd better be," he muttered aloud. "And what would you say about this? 'Be cautious, Zuko' or 'Do not be so afraid to accept help, nephew' or 'Drink more tea, Zuko.'" Any one of those could have been his uncle's voice.

"I don't know what to do, Uncle…"

"You could start by lighting a fire," Sokka suggested, walking back with his arms full of wood. "Make yourself useful. It's freezing. I thought the Fire Nation was supposed to be all hot and tropical!"

"The days are always hot, but the nights can get rather cold in the winter," Hakoda replied, following his son in with wood.

They were more wary around him now, Zuko noticed. He wasn't surprised. Very few outside of the Fire Nation could appreciate the beauty in firebending—few enough people inside of the Fire Nation could. To most, it was about power and destruction. But after thinking about his Uncle's wisdom, Zuko had realized that it was also warmth and passion.

He lit the fire like they asked, sending the smallest possible stream of fire into the center of the wood, so as not to alarm them. It only partially worked, as he heard one of them gasp. He wasn't sure which one it was, but neither of the moved to attack him, so he disregarded it.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Evidently they didn't exactly feel comfortable talking to someone from the nation that was trying to take over the world.

"What's your name?" Zuko finally asked, directing his question at the older man.

"Why does it matter?"

"Well, I could call you 'dad' like he does, since that's the only way I've heard you addressed."

Zuko was annoyed to see the flinch ad momentary look of disgust that crossed his face.

"I'm Hakoda."

"No last name?"

"No titles of nobility, so I doubt you would care," Sokka interrupted before his father could reply. _You sycophantic little worm. You firebenders are all gutless little fuck-buddies for the nobility._

Zuko scowled. That subtext had come through loud and clear. "The nobility is full of gutless worms too busy counting their money to realize that we're in a war. It's the common people who are at the heart of the Fire Nation," he snapped, feeling the need to defend his home.

"So the entire nation is evil and wants war, I get it already," Sokka drawled.

"It's only the people who are in charge that want war," Zuko replied heatedly, the fire rising with his temper. "And if you would pull your head far enough out of your ass to see that-"

"Boys!" Hakoda interrupted sternly, but they paid him no attention.

"Better my head than some noble's dick," Sokka argued.

"You're just jealous that we actually have money here-"

"You just know that I'm right, firebenders are the source of all evil in the world-"

"BOYS!" Hakoda all but yelled, standing quickly. "Sokka, stop provoking him!"

Sokka scowled, but nodded slightly under the older man's glare.

"And _you_," he started, pointing at Zuko. He frowned as the firebender flinched, but continued. "Stop letting him. And if you two start fighting, I will tan both of your hides, regardless of who started it. Understood?"

They both nodded sullenly, somewhat intimidated by the parental aura about him.

"I'm going to bed, you two," he announced. "I want you to stay up until the fire burs out in half an hour or so. Spend some time talking. See if it might be possible to travel without the two of you alerting the entire Fire Nation to our presence with your bickering. Understand? Good. Good night."

Hakoda wandered over to the pile of blankets, retreated to the back of their shelter and sent to sleep, leaving the two boys unsupervised. They stared at each other blankly for a while, unable to think of anything to say.

Finally… "That lightning bit must have hurt," Sokka commented.

"It still does, thank you so much for the reminder," Zuko snapped.

"I'm just trying to make conversation here!" Sokka exclaimed.

Zuko raised an eyebrow slightly, the epitome of scorn and disbelief.

Sokka rolled his eyes, but tried again. "Alright, fine. How are you feeling?" he said in a slightly-too-saccharine voice that Zuko decided to ignore.

"I'm fine," he said evenly. He tried to stand and managed, but shook on the way up.

"I can see that," Sokka commented, smirking slightly. When Zuko glared and sat down, he raised his hands in the universal gesture of innocence. "Hey, just stating the facts."

"What's your problem with the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked, trying to distract. It worked.

Sokka scowled, his eyebrows knitting. "You killed my mother, destroyed my village, and have hunted my sister and me all across the world! I think that's a sufficient reason, don't you?"

"_I_ didn't do it!"

"No, but firebenders did!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Waterbenders attacked the Fire nation shortly before Sozin's reign as Fire Lord. Does that mean that I should hate everyone from the Water tribes?"

"That was a hundred years ago!"

"Fine. My mother disappeared because of the Fire Lord. She was Fire Nation—does that make her evil? How about the million or so working class people in the Fire Nation who have been suffering from the war?"

"Why are they suffering? You all are the ones who attacked first!"

"No, Fire Lord Sozin decided to attack first. The Fire Lord controls everything, including the military."

"But nobody's tried to fix it."

"Actually, before I was put in prison, there had been fifty-seven serious attempts on Ozai's life."

Sokka threw his hands in the air in frustration. "I just can't get a point across, can I?"

"Not when you're wrong."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Boys!" Hakoda shouted from his makeshift bed. "IF you two don't be quiet, not only will you attract every firebender within twenty miles, but I'll come over there and wring your necks!"

They flinched. The parent vibe was back in full force again.

"Hey, why don't you just bend the fire out?" Sokka whispered conspiratorially, trying to get rid of the goosebumps that appeared on his skin as he suggested it. As uncomfortable as he was with displays of firebending, he thought it would be worth it just so his dad would get some sleep. Hakoda was _cranky_ when he was tired.

"I need to meditate some," Zuko admitted.

"How?" Sokka asked, curiosity piqued. "Why do you need fire for it?"

"You're not a bender." It wasn't a question, but Sokka answered anyway.

"No, why?"

Zuko sighed in exasperation. "Benders can feel their element—it's like an extension of the body. I can feel the heat in you, and your father, and the cricket-mice in the trees… But my ability to sense this is limited, and it's a key part of bending. So I need to meditate and work on my connection with the fire."

"It sounds like you almost think it's beautiful," Sokka commented.

Zuko almost smiled, but it was sad. "My uncle used to tell me that fire was generally known for its worst sides: fury, destruction. But fire is also a gift. It's life, it's passion, it's beauty—but nobody ever sees past the few people who misuse it."

"He sounds like a very… optimistic person," Sokka said as bluntly as possible without offending the firebender next to him.

"He was."

"Was?"

"He left. I was wanted in the Fire Nation, and I returned to kill my—the Fire Lord. uncle disagreed with me. He wanted us to start over and live life anew or some such thing. We fought over it, and he left. He's probably somewhere in the Earth Kingdom by now, running a tea shop."

"I'm sorry," Sokka said awkwardly. "But maybe it was for the best. You obviously wanted different things." He wasn't one for conciliatory speeches, but that was pretty damn fine, if he said so himself.

"Actually, I just wish that I could tell him he was right," Zuko replied, an aura of regret surrounding him.

Oh, so that was why Sokka didn't try the whole 'let's talk about feelings' thing. He wasn't very good at it.

"Go to sleep if you want, I won't be up long," the firebender said.

Sokka shook his head and stayed where he was, partially out of some guilt for reminding Zuko about his uncle, but mostly because he still didn't trust the firebender to be around him while he was sleeping. Zuko shrugged and closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged, hands on his knees with his palms facing up. He breathed slowly and deeply, the fire rising and falling slightly with his breath. There was something hypnotic about it, and as hard as he tried, Sokka couldn't seem to keep his eyes open, and he soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review, my lovelies, and encourage me to get another chapter out!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Goodness, it's been a while. I'm sorry, but life has been a bit uncooperative lately, with a friend having some serious health issues that should, thankfully, now be resolved. Maybe I'll even start updating more frequently, although I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

And I know some people have had issues regarding what exactly I've done timeline-wise, but I promise that it will all be explained in a couple more chapters!

* * *

Sokka opened an eye slowly as he heard someone walking around. "Five more minutes, 'Tara," he mumbled sleepily.

"Our resident firebender got up at dawn, you know," Hakoda sighed. His son had never liked getting up before noon.

Although nothing else that was said registered, Sokka did hear one word: firebender. He leapt upright, only to fall back down as he tripped on a rock, his menacing expression disappearing as butt contacted ground. "Ugh," he groaned.

"Good morning to you, too," Hakoda said, grinning. "You might want to grab some breakfast, because we need to leave soon."

"Is there any meat?"

"One track mind much?" Zuko asked quietly, off to the side.

"I have plenty of other things on my mind, like…" he trailed off.

"Porn?" Hakoda suggested.

"Yes, thank you, like po— Hey!"

Hakoda laughed. Sokka glared, snatching a banana from his dad's hand and stuffing his face.

"So what's happened in my absence?" Hakoda asked, just as Sokka had taken a slightly overzealous bite of the banana, biting off more than he could easily chew. After a minute, a lot of chewing and some coughing, Sokka finally managed to choke it down.

"Well, I'm traveling with the Avatar now, I don't know if you've heard " —Hakoda shook his head— "because there are a hell of a lot of wanted posters. His name's Aang, he's an airbender and he's twelve years old."

"He's only twelve?" Hakoda asked in surprise.

"He was frozen in an iceberg for the past hundred years. Anyway, Katara and Toph—she's an earthbender—and I are traveling around to get him to learn all the elements, but this firebender named Zhao is stalling us and every time he sees us it's all like 'fwoosh' and he shoots fire at us!" This was, of course, accompanied by extravagant hand gestures.

"How far along is Aang on learning all the elements?"

Sokka thought for a moment. "He's amazing at airbending, not quite as good at waterbending as Katara—"

Hakoda cringed.

"Katara's really good now!" Sokka protested. "She's like a master now or something! And anyway, Aang's also pretty good at earthbending, but Toph can beat him into the dust any day of the week."

Hakoda sighed. "And firebending?" he asked, although he dreaded the answer.

"Are you kidding? Every time we get near a firebender they shoot fire at us! It's not like we can just walk up to one and say 'Hey, come teach the Avatar how to firebend so he can go kick your leader's butt!' They'd laugh! And _then_ shoot fire at us!"

"He needs a teacher," Hakoda argued.

"My uncle would do it," Zuko interjected quietly.

"But you don't know where he is," Sokka reminded him.

Zuko shot him a glare. "I know who does," he argued.

"We're not going searching all over the Fire Nation," Hakoda said. "It's too dangerous, especially traveling with the Avatar."

"He's in the Earth Kingdom, or he was last I heard."

"That's a really long time, considering how long you were in jail," Sokka pointed out.

Zuko glared again. "It's not _my_ fault my sister screwed up my plans. Otherwise I wouldn't have gotten caught. And besides, the people I need to ask about my uncle's location are in the earth Kingdom, and it's not like it hurts you to go there, because from the sound of it the Avatar needs to work on his earthbending."

Sokka shrugged. The firebender did have a point… Hey, wait a minute, that was a firebender sitting in front of him, and Aang needed a teacher… "Why don't you teach him?" he asked, the question popping out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"I'm not the teaching type," Zuko said in exasperation. "Besides, I need to focus on my own bending right now! And do you really think I'll give up time I could be spending looking for my uncle just to watch some snot-nosed kid try to firebend? I have better things to do!"

"Better things to do than help the Avatar save the world?" Sokka yelled?

"Well, _excuse_ me for not trusting a twelve-year-old to save the world! Especially since he's an Air Nomad!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sokka bristled in defense of his friend.

"He's a pacifist!"

"So?"

"So how the hell is he going to kill the Fire Lord?"

Sokka glared, but didn't answer immediately. He had been wondering the same thing for quite some time. Eventually he closed his eyes and said aloud what he had kept telling himself: "I trust him to do the right thing."

Hakoda beamed at his son—fatherly pride at his son's faith in his friends. Zuko, however, remained unconvinced, but he said nothing more on the matter.

"Before we do anything else, we need to find Aang and the others," Sokka finally stated, breaking the silence. The other two nodded. Hakoda stuffed their meager belongings into Sokka's bag, along with a couple of pieces of fruit that had been growing nearby, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. They started walking, slowly because the firebender was still somewhat shaky, all the while looking around for soldiers. None seemed to be present, thankfully.

"So how far away are Katara and the others?" Hakoda asked, grimacing as he brushed a limb out of the way and a large spider fell to the ground in front of him.

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Well, you see, I'm not really sure."

"_What_?" Zuko asked. It was one of those soft voices that promised pain if the answer wasn't the right one.

"Katara was kind of captured before I could come here, and Aang and Toph went to get her back, so they've probably gotten away from there so Zhao won't find them again…"

"You don't know where we're going?" Zuko all but yelled.

At the same time, Hakoda started ranting. "Your sister was captured by firebenders? And you _left her there_?"

"Aang and Toph—" Sokka started to protest.

"Are not you!" Hakoda interrupted. "Did you ever think that maybe they would need one extra person to get her out of there?"

"Aang and Toph are benders, the Avatar and the best earthbender in the world! If they can't get to Katara, then I certainly wouldn't be able to do anything. Besides, if I had gone to watch them rescue her, you'd still be in prison!"

They were quiet for a moment.

"Well, _I'm_ glad that you came here," Zuko interjected. The corner of Hakoda's mouth twitched upward briefly at that.

Sokka looked somewhat ill. The other two could almost hear him thinking, _Great, the firebender agrees with me. Maybe I _should_ have gone to get Katara…_ To his credit, though, he said nothing aloud.

They kept walking, albeit in a rather meandering path, in the general direction of the sea.

* * *

Aang and Toph were having problems. They'd been following Zhao for ages, trying to catch up with the soldiers but never quite there. A few days ago they had finally caught up to him, only to have him slip away in the middle of the night. They had only found him again after days of searching.

"Stay, Appa," Aang said to his friend. Appa, obviously tired, had no complaint with that idea. He sank to the ground with a groan, gratefully allowing his eyes to close.

"There's a lot of them down there," Toph said worriedly. They were in the forest, looking down into a valley where Zhao's men were camped. She could feel all the soldiers down there like a hive full of ant-bees, they were so many and so far away. Zhao must have met up with more of his soldiers, she supposed.

"They've got Katara, Toph! We can't wait any longer!"

"No," Toph said stubbornly. "We need to at least figure out which tent she's in so we can come in from the right side. And it'd be a good idea to take out some of the guys before we can get down there and they can see us." Oh, how she hated being the voice of reason. But when Aang was being flighty, she had to be the tactician.

"Then hurry up with your sensing thingy!"

Toph ground her teeth. Her 'sensing thingy'? Did Aang really have no concept of how difficult it was to distinguish the vibrations of individual people when there were so many of them and they were so far away? _He's just a kid_, she reminded herself, conveniently forgetting her own tender age, _and he's upset about Katara._

"Well?" Aang demanded impatiently.

That did it. A pillar of rock hit him in the stomach, sending him flying into the air for a moment until h hit the ground in a heap, too surprised to airbend.

"Listen up, Twinkletoes," Toph snapped. "Finding Katara in that mess down there is difficult enough without you breathing down my neck. And, seeing as you can't do it, sit down and shut up so I can get on with it!"

Aang nodded weakly, annoyed but smart enough to try to avoid facing Toph's wrath. He knew his earthbending teacher wouldn't hesitate to take more anger out on him physically.

Toph sighed, happy that it was quiet again, and turned her attention to the jumbled mess of vibrations coming from the firebenders' camp. There were the komodo-rhinos, large, lumbering beasts, and the metallic feel of soldiers in armor. Then it got hard. The people without armor, at this distance, all looked the same… But wait, there she was! Smaller, lighter vibrations than the soldiers', with something about them that just screamed 'Sugar Queen'.

"She's on the near left side, two tents in, with five or six guards posted. Nobody else seems to be in the area—they're training on the other side of the camp," she reported.

Aang didn't need to hear more. He grabbed his glider and flew down, while Toph couldn't decide whether to curse his stupidity or applaud his bold entrance. She followed after a moment, sliding down the rock with ease, and quickly catching up to the airbender. A manic smile split her face as the thrill of the fight caught up to her.

The guards, of course, had noticed their entrance. No surprise there—an orange blob flying out of the sky was rather hard to miss, but she really hoped that no reinforcements arrived.

One of the guards punched out, a stream of fire rushing toward her. She slid to the side, finally coming to rest at the bottom of the hill a moment later. She stuck a foot forward, bringing her arms forward as well and sending two boulders into the guards. A couple of them dropped, unconscious.

Aang, meanwhile, sent a gust of air into the remaining guards, knocking them backwards several feet. They landed on their backs, winded, while Toph encased most of their bodies in stone.

The two of them rushed into the tent, Aang in the lead. He stopped dead as soon as he saw Katara.

She was laying on a lumpy mattress, a tangled mess of thin limbs. Her right arm was bent at an unnatural angle, and had several bruises in the shape of handprints. Her entire body was dotted with scrapes and burns. Her eyes were open but unfocused, hinting at a concussion.

Aang was struck speechless. Toph, however, had no time to stand in shock. She could feel footsteps—other firebenders had noticed their presence, and they were coming to help their fallen comrades.

"Come on, Twinkletoes," she urged. "Grab her and let's get out of here before we get captured too!"

Her voice rousing him from his stupor, Aang moved forward and gathered Katara in his arms, turning quickly and following Toph out of the tent. By then the first reinforcements were arriving on the scene.

"It's the Avatar!" one of them yelled, as if it wasn't blatantly obvious to anyone who saw him.

_Shit_, Toph thought to herself. It would be difficult to fight these guys and protect Katara at the same time.

Aang started forward, holding his staff menacingly. The soldiers stood their ground, simply seeing a twelve-year-old as their opponent, not convinced that there was any threat. Toph ran forward, sending a thin tendril of earth to grab Aang by the leg and pull him backward.

"Protect Katara," she snapped. She didn't even bother to look at him as she bent a wave of earth that struck the firebenders. One dodged and struck back, sending a stream of fire that was wider than she would have guessed. She managed to avoid most of it, but a small amount of the fire found her arm. She grimaced, trying to ignore the pain of blistering skin.

Aang sent a wave of air through, knocking down the soldiers.

"Come here!" she yelled. He complied quickly, and she bent the earth under them, moving them away from the soldiers and back to Appa. They clambered onto his back as quickly as they could, Toph sitting in the saddle and holding Katara while Aang took the reins.

"Yip yip!" he urged, flicking the reins. Appa quickly obeyed and flipped his tail to send them soaring into the sky. Soon they rose beyond the range of the soldiers' fireballs and relaxed slightly.

"Go to the ocean," Toph yelled, trying to make herself heard over the wind.

"But we'll be easier to find!" Aang protested.

"We need to be near the ocean to look for Sokka! It's been two weeks, and even Snoozles couldn't get lost enough to take much longer."

Aang nodded tightly and turned Appa toward the ocean, his eyes scouring the land below for a river where Katara could heal herself.

"There!" Toph called.

Aang's head whipped around. "Where?" he asked, trying to see what she was pointing at, but for the life of him he couldn't find it. "What is it?"

Toph shrugged. "You tell me. I certainly don't know."

Aang glared, then remembered that she couldn't see it. He settled for just ignoring her, while she simply smirked.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed last time - it really got me up off my butt (or on it) to update. It really means a lot to me that all of you think enough of my writing to let me know you like it. That being said, any chance you'll review again?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Never, ever get mononucleosis. It sucks. That and other RL problems are why I have been so ridiculously negligent about updating. Please forgive me! I hope you guys enjoy.

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"The ocean!" Sokka exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air and running forward onto the beach. "We've been in that awful forest for _ages_, and now we're finally free! And maybe I can find some meat!"

"You found some in the forest," Hakoda reminded him.

"Yeah, but it was poisonous," Zuko muttered. Sokka glared at him, but he ignored it and turned his face upward to greet the sun. Placing his fist against his other palm, he bowed slightly in its direction, mentally asking Agni for guidance. Sokka and Hakoda looked confused, but he felt no need to elaborate unless they asked, and he kind of hoped they wouldn't.

No such luck. "What are you doing?" Hakoda wondered aloud.

Zuko sighed inwardly. "I'm asking Agni to guide me."

"Agni?"

"The sun spirit." The unspoken _you idiot_ hung in the air. "He's the spirit that founded the Fire Nation by giving fire bending to the dragons, who passed it on to the Sun Lords, and eventually down to us."

"So he's like Tui and La? Why is there only one?"

Zuko paused for a moment, thinking back over his time with his uncle. "Waterbending is about balance and flow, so two spirits are necessary to create balance. Firebending doesn't have that balance – it's about emotions instead, so we don't require two spirits." _See, Uncle? I listened more than you thought._

Sokka snorted. "Zhao certainly doesn't have much emotional capacity."

Hakoda rolled his eyes. His son was so argumentative.

"A lot of firebenders use anger as their emotion. It's an easy one to handle, and as a result firebending has gotten short and choppy like earthbending. It's lost its beauty." Tired of explaining, Zuko turned his face back up to the sun, basking in its light.

Sokka snorted. "Beauty?" he muttered under his breath.

Zuko glared, and Sokka waited to spontaneously combust, closing his eyes as tightly as he could in apprehension. When nothing happened, he cracked open one eye. There was smoke rising from the firebender's clenched fists, and that worried him.

"Firebending is an art!" Zuko finally snapped, remembering his time with Iroh. _Firebending is like blending a pot of tea,_ his uncle had said once. _It is very easy to perform it incorrectly, and the result is ruined, but if it is done correctly the result is warm and beautiful._

_Yeah, whatever,_ Zuko had grumbled, turning away to deal with his crew. _Everything is like tea to you._ Now he regretted it.

Sokka looked like he was about to argue for a moment, but one more look at the smoke rising from the other teenager's hands convinced him that it wasn't a good idea. Besides, there was a memory from nighttime in the forest, muddled by sleep, where there was a warm and beautiful fire…

He shook his head and turned away. He must have been confused – maybe it was the sleep talking, he had been about to drift off when it happened.

Although, truth be told, that wasn't the only thing he was confused about in relation to the firebender – the teen hadn't yet shown any of the stereotypical 'evil' attributes that were bread and butter for the Fire Nation. Sure, he had a bit of a fiery temper – Sokka snickered internally at his own joke – but he had yet to actually attack, or shove any little old ladies, or kick puppy-cats, or do anything, well, _evil._ The water tribe boy found it rather confusing.

Granted, he hadn't been particularly polite, either, but that could easily be explained by still-healing wounds (which were thankfully well on the way to recovery, which had caused a major improvement in the firebender's mood). Well, caused either by that or Sokka's incessant insults and questions, because he rather enjoyed getting the other teen riled up.

"Where do we go now?: Hakoda asked, trying to stop any upcoming disputes.

Sokka knitted his brows, grabbing a stick from a nearby bush to draw in the sand. "Let's see, I left the boat here-" a tap of the stick, continuing inland from a hastily sketched coast "-and came to the Boiling Rock _here_, and then we headed straight toward the coastline, so we need to go west."

"Your trip inland wasn't terribly straight," Zuko noted, staring at the many twists and curves in the trail that were reminiscent of a drunkard trying to walk. He said as much, and Sokka blushed.

"I didn't know exactly where I was going, so I went into a few bars to get information, and they would have gotten suspicious if I didn't drink…"

"A noble sacrifice," Zuko noted dryly, and Hakoda grinned.

Sokka pretended to be oblivious to the sarcasm. "Yes it was, wasn't it? No need to thank me now, though. Save my life once or twice and we'll call it even."

"So your life is only worth a couple of drinks? I'll be sure to remember that."

"You would choose to pull _that_ out of the conversation, wouldn't you?"

"You're the one who said it," Zuko argued.

Sokka stuck his chin up into the air and ignored the firebender, starting to walk along the beach. "Dad, you coming?" he called over his shoulder.

Hakoda shook his head at the latest episode of the constant bickering between the bender and his son, but followed without comment. Surprisingly (and almost worrisome), he was starting not to mind the company of the former prisoner. This had developed after a few days and nights on the march together, and had really started when he realized that Zuko was a plentiful source of information on the Fire Nation, in terms of both the military and the culture.

"None of the benders use swords," Zuko had said once.

"But you do," Hakoda interrupted, gesturing towards the bender's callused hands with one of his own. "Why is that?"

Zuko grimaced. "My family was full of powerful benders," he finally admitted. "I wasn't one of them, so I found something of my own." He hoped that Hakoda wouldn't ask any ore questions.

No such luck.

"You don't talk about your family much," Hakoda commented.

"You don't talk much in general," Sokka muttered from nearby.

Zuko saw this as an opportunity to change the topic of the conversation. "Well, I have to make up for the fact that you talk so much."

"My input is highly valuable, I'll have you know!" the water tribe boy protested. "You should count yourself lucky that I choose to share so much of it with you."

Before the conversation descended into mere bickering, Hakoda intervened. "Sokka may be fooled by that change in topic, but I'm not so easily distracted, you know. What's so terrible about your family?" he asked in a somewhat teasing manner. He didn't miss the sudden tensing of the firebender's muscles as though he was ready to fight or flee.

"We…don't get along," Zuko said carefully.

"I bet," Sokka muttered. "Everyone in your family's gotta have a temper like none other to have produced you."

Zuko snorted and Sokka stared at him as though he had a second head, not yet used to the firebender's sudden bouts of humor.

"That's a bit of an understatement for some of them," he said bitterly.

"Jeez, what'd they do to make you hate them so much?" Sokka asked. "I mean, they're still your family and all."

"No they aren't. Just Uncle…"

He refused to say any more for the rest of the night.

The next time, Hakoda tried easing into the conversation a bit less forcefully, going after a less personal topic. "What do the women do in the Fire Nation? I would have sworn that I'd seen some in the army, but that can't be right."

"Why not?" Zuko challenged. "There are plenty of women in the army. One of the highest-ranked generals before I was put in prison was a woman."

Hakoda stared at him, somewhat aghast. "Then what do you do for healing? Do you just let the soldiers tend to themselves?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Zuko snapped. "We have medics – it's not like we're barbarians!"

"But if your women are in the army-"

"Not all of them! It's voluntary to participate in the military unless there are direct attacks on the nation that require more soldiers to deal with. And it seems to be working better than whatever system _you're_ employing." It was a low blow, given the number of water tribe warriors (and occasionally civilians) that had been killed in the war, and Zuko knew that. But it was out there, for better or worse.

Hakoda's face paled, and then reddened in anger, and he replied even faster than his smart-mouthed son could find the words. "You fire nation cowards only win through sheer numbers!" he spat. "You attack women and children-"

"Then why don't you teach them to fight back?" the firebender snapped.

Hakoda barely registered the words before Sokka's fist made contact with the scarred boy's jaw. Zuko took a step backward and barely caught himself before he fell. He lifted one hand to the corner of his mouth. It came away bloody.

"And you wonder why our nations don't get along well," he whispered.

Thankfully, Hakoda was able to keep the physical violence to a minimum – only a few black eyes and a slightly singed arm ever resulted, and such conflicts grew less and less common as time went on. He even grew to almost like the firebender – hence his problem.

They headed west along the coast, going in what they hoped was the right direction to find the boat that would take them back to the Earth Kingdom.

Two days later, they finally made it, collapsing on the sandy beach from exhaustion stemming from their long march from the Boiling Rock. Sokka caught three small fish in the shallow coastal waters, and Hakoda gutted them while Zuko started a fire.

They had just finished eating when their fire drew some unwelcome guests.

A twig snapped behind them and they spun around, quickly dodging to the side. A fireball landed right where they had been sitting."

"Aww, Zuzu, you dodged," whined a voice.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Hakoda asked, standing with a long serrated knife in his hand, poised to attack.

"I am Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, and you will address me with respect, peasant!"

"You know this girl, Zuko?" Sokka whispered.

Azula heard this and looked at her brother, smirking. "You haven't told them yet, have you? Oh, I can understand – after all, even those water tribe peasants could easily kill a failure like you." Her face appeared almost demonic by the flickering firelight.

"What's she talking about, Zuko?" Hakoda asked.

Sokka jumped to his companion's defense. "If you mean that he's a firebender, we already know that, so you can fuck off!"

If at all possible, her smirk deepened. "So you think you know him, little warrior? You think you can trust him? He's –"

"Be quiet, Azula," Zuko interrupted.

She adopted a hurt look on her face. "Why Zuzu, I come all this way after I heard of your escape and this is the thanks I get?"

"It's not as though anyone invited you."

Her eyes narrowed. "No one had to. I'm powerful and important – everything you ever dreamed of, right Zuzu? But no one cares about you, not even Father. You're just a lowly banished prince."

Hardly registering the shocked gasps of the water tribesmen, Zuko attacked, sending a thin stream of fire at his sister's head, holding the fire like a whip. She moved her head slightly to the side, the fire barely missing her, and struck out with a blast of blue flame from her foot. Zuko jumped and it passed underneath him. He somehow kept his balance as he landed.

Sokka and Hakoda watched the exchange, unsure if they should intervene or not, still in shock over the princess' revelation.

She ran toward her brother, sending as many fireballs as she could possibly create in front of her. He countered some by raising a wall of fire, but one caught him on the left arm. Then she was there, her hand alight and descending toward his head. He struck out in a panic, managing to block one of the major points of chi in her arm just as her strike connected with his shoulder. Ty Lee would have been proud. Still, although her bending was gone, the force of her strike severely bruised his collarbone.

She fell away gasping and furious, and Sokka decided that he had had enough. "Come here!" he called to Zuko, running toward the boat, his father following. Moments later, they were drifting out into the open ocean.

Azula glared for a moment, her eyes meeting Zuko's. He felt like his entire body had been doused in a bucket of ice water. Then she broke the contact, turning and walking back up the beach.

"The prince?" Hakoda asked dangerously.

"I never lied to you," Zuko replied. "I _was_ in prison because I tried to kill the Fire Lord. I _don't_ get along with my family. It just happens that those two are more closely connected than I led you to believe."

"It just happens?" Sokka laughed weakly. "I think that's a bit bigger than 'it just happens.'"

"It's not like being related to that harpy changes who I am!" Zuko growled.

Hakoda thought for a moment, then sighed. "That's true. But you've been traveling with us for over a month now. Did it never occur to you that we would prefer to hear it from you than to hear it from someone else?"

"It sounds bad no matter who you hear it from."

"But now we have to wonder what else you're hiding."

"Too bad. I get to keep some secrets."

Hakoda scowled. "And if these secrets endanger my family?"

"More than him being the prince of this entire nation of lunatics?" Sokka muttered. "Hard to get more dangerous than that."

"Your son's traveling with the Avatar," Zuko retorted. "The Fire Nation is already hunting him, so it's not like my presence puts him in any sort of increased danger."

"Having two wanted men together is just more incentive for the Fire Nation to attack."

"If you want me to leave then say it straight."

Hakoda paused, simply staring at the firebender – no, at their _prince_, he corrected himself. And despite being a prince, he realized, Zuko didn't have the appearance that would tend to go with the role. The boy was dirty and bruised and still far too thin, as well as far less cruel than he would have expected for a firebender, let alone for their prince.

He couldn't bring himself to leave the boy behind.

He growled but said nothing, staying silent for the majority of the remainder of their trip to the Earth Kingdom.

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**A/N:** Please review! I know I'm not great about responding to them, but I really do appreciate it when people review, and I do read each and every one of them and go 'squee!' when I see one that's particularly nice or thoughtful. (I swear, some of you people put more thought into this story than I do, and it's insanely flattering.)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I wrote myself into a corner, deleted everything, started rewriting and forgot. And then tonight I wrote most of this. Strange.

For those of you worried about me abandoning this, don't start worrying until it's been more than a year between updates, I'm afraid to say.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and pestered me to update, because it really does help!

* * *

"There's Appa!" Sokka exclaimed happily, pointing at the fluffy white bison that was soaring in lazy circles over a small island.

"That's definitely a welcome sight," Hakoda replied, smiling for the first time in a while. He had been far too preoccupied with the problem of their resident firebender to smile for the past week or two. Looking over at the boy, he felt the same conflict that had been plaguing him since discovering that the boy was royalty. He was afraid for his children, doubtful of the boy's intentions, but part of him – his fatherly side – couldn't help but pity the boy.

Zuko looked at the animal in awe. It didn't seem feasible that such a large animal would be able to fly… But, wary of being caught staring too long and the inevitable mocking that would come from Sokka, he looked away, back to the people on the boat. Hakoda had that strange look on his face again. It seemed to be his thinking face, though privately Zuko thought it made him look constipated. Uncomfortable again, Zuko settled for looking at their destination.

It was a small peninsula that was heavily wooded. Even so, he could see a fire burning not far into the trees that announced the camp's location for everyone to see. A flash of something caught his eye and after another moment, he realized that it was the sun reflecting off a stream of water that was flying through the air. There were several more of those gleams, and after a moment he could see the person responsible for creating them: a young boy with odd arrow tattoos covering his body. The Avatar. A wave of dislike instantly washed over him as he thought about everyone who had suffered at the hands of the ruling elite of the Fire Nation while the Avatar had done nothing.

After a moment, he realized that Hakoda was talking to him.

"I'll have a talk with Katara and the others soon about your… heritage. Don't give me that look, they deserve to know." Seeing the look of apprehension on the firebender's face, Hakoda relented slightly. "I won't do it tonight. But it does have to be done."

The Avatar had disappeared, Zuko noted dully. Just as they were nearing the shore he reappeared with a girl dressed in blue, who sprinted towards them and tackled Hakoda right out of the boat. They fell with a large splash into the ocean, drenching Sokka in water.

"What am I, a cabbage?" Sokka complained loudly.

She looked up briefly and smiled. "Thanks, Sokka."

He gaped slightly, as though he couldn't believe she had actually thanked him.

"Wow, you're actually quiet," Zuko commented dryly.

"Haha," Sokka said sarcastically, his main attention on Katara and his dad, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Dad, I'm so happy to see you! Are you alright? You're cut!"

He laughed. "Just a small memento of escaping from prison. It's no problem, Katara."

"Don't be ridiculous! There's no reason for you to keep that when I can heal it for you. In fact, hang on." She closed her eyes and started running her hands back and forth in a smooth, fluid motion. The water surrounding Hakoda started to glow, and after a moment his cuts had faded.

Hakoda cupped her cheek with his hand. "I'm proud of you, Katara. And I know your mother would have been proud of you too."

Katara reflexively lifted her hand to her throat to touch her necklace. "Thanks, Dad."

Toph came reluctantly onto the sandy beach at all of the noise. "This little reunion is touching and all, but would you guys like to come up onto the real rock where I can actually _see you_?"

A few minutes later, everyone had settled down in a ring around the fire.

"So who are you?" Katara asked, gesturing vaguely in Zuko's direction.

No one spoke up for a moment, so Sokka decided to break the silence. "That's Zuko. He's mute."

Katara looked horrified. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I-"

Zuko sighed and glared at Sokka. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Well, you weren't saying anything!" He waited a moment. "And see, you're still not saying anything! Katara, this is Zuko, who is only momentarily mute. He's a firebender who helped us get out of prison."

"Oh. Well, thank you then," Katara said, at a loss for other words.

"You're welcome."

There was silence for another moment, and then Toph snorted. "Not big on social interaction, are you, Sparky?"

The fire flared up briefly, and Katara flinched. Zuko noticed and scowled, then he stood. "I'll leave you to catch up," he snapped as he walked off. Sokka started to follow, but sat back down as Hakoda shook his head.

Zuko wandered away from the fire and back down to the beach, noticing how the chatter quickly picked up after he left. As he settled into the sand, he could hear laughter ringing from behind him. He tried to shut it out as best he could, called a small flame into his palm, and started to breathe. As the flames danced behind his eyelids, memories forced themselves forward to be dealt with.

_After the Agni Kai with his father, Zuko made himself scarce. He flitted through the hallways of the palace like a ghost, letting nobody see him but his uncle. Any time the physician was around, he pretended to be asleep. Rumors began circulating that he was in a coma, that he would never wake up, and he was surprised that he was happy about this. Anything to stay in the Fire Nation, even if it meant never talking to anyone but his uncle ever again. His uncle was his one source of comfort during this time, though his mood was rather foul and he gave Iroh a large number of tongue-lashings over even inconsequential things._

_ Of course, he was found out eventually. Azula came by his room unannounced to find that he wasn't there, and promptly told her father and every noble of the court. It was quite an affair – she was telling all of the nobility about how happy she was that her brother had finally woken up, pretending to be the perfect sister. A few days later, just long enough to let Zuko know how little he really mattered, Ozai sent a messenger to announce that the banishment was to take place the next day. _

_ "You have no honor left," the messenger announced, reading verbatim from a scroll. "Find the Avatar, and bring him to me, and you may restore some of what you have lost. Otherwise, I have no wish to see you again. You will be given a ship and you will leave tomorrow." There was no signature._

_ The message didn't mention that the ship was the smallest in the fleet, in need of some repairs, and that the crew was full of rejects who likely would have been dishonorably discharged from the military for their conduct had this assignment not come along. Even so, they respected the Dragon of the West for his accomplishments. Had Iroh not decided to join in the banishment, Zuko probably would have been the victim of mutiny after just a few days. Even with the Dragon of the West there, these men took his commands very grudgingly, with much muttering and even outright argument in the case of Lieutenant Jee. Jee became Zuko's verbal punching bag after a while, and the other men would look to him when they had problems with the prince. Jee became their leader, of sorts, which of course made Zuko more angry with him, since Zuko still hadn't won any of the men's respect._

_ The ship traveled for months, and Zuko's anger brewed the entire time, between Jee and his banishment and the difficulties of the search. After pirates attacked near the Earth Kingdom one day, he simply exploded._

_ "He's never planning on letting me back, is he? This is a fool's errand, and you know it, Uncle!" His words were punctuated with streams of fire from his fists, haphazardly flung in every direction over the deck. The crewmen had unanimously taken shelter below, recognizing this as his worst temper tantrum yet._

_ Iroh sighed. "Now, Zuko, do not give up hope. There is yet the possibility that the Avatar may be alive. And there are other ways to return to the Fire Nation than capturing the Avatar."_

_ "Like what? Am I supposed to just wait for my father to miraculously decide that he isn't angry with me anymore? Nothing I have ever done has been good enough, I doubt it'll change now!"_

_ "The Fire Lord and the Fire Nation are not synonymous, Prince Zuko!" Iroh said sternly. "Ozai does not determine everything that happens there, and there are greater forces at play."_

_ "Don't get started with your spirits again, Uncle!" Zuko snapped. "They've done nothing for me so far."_

_ "You are alive, Zuko, and that is worth cherishing."_

_ "Alive for what? For living in this hellhole?"_

_ "For something greater than living in Ozai's shadow. You are destined for great things, even if you can't see it yet."_

_ As quick as his temper was to start, it also cooled suddenly. "What if he never wants me back, Uncle?" He was only a sad child, not a raging firestorm._

_ Iroh sighed again. "You will make it back to the Fire Nation regardless of Ozai," he said._

_ Zuko's eyes lit up. "You're right! I just have to go back, and then I can convince him to let me stay after I'm back."_

_ "That is not what I said–"_

_ "But it's true! Now that I've been gone, I'm sure he's realized that he's wrong."_

_ "Zuko!" Iroh interrupted. "If you go back, your life will be in danger."_

_ "You're just jealous of him! Because he's the Fire Lord and you're not! And you only want me here to keep me from my rightful place so you can pretend you didn't kill Lu Ten!" Zuko spat. Some part of him knew he had crossed a line, but part of him had always blamed his uncle for failing to protect his favorite cousin. But he ignored this voice and continued. "I'm going back. Don't you dare follow."_

_ He left the ship and snuck aboard another that went back to the Fire Nation. But when he neared the palace, he found himself seized by guards._

_ "What are you doing?" he cried. "I'm the prince!"_

_ His struggles were in vain. The guards marched him into the palace without saying a single word. People all around were whispering, and Zuko shrank a little under their stares. Eventually the guards stopped, and threw him to the floor. They left and closed the doors behind him. After a few moments of tense silence, the doors opened once again to admit Ozai._

_ He looked down at his son and grimaced. "Get up off the floor, you look ridiculous."_

_ Zuko obeyed quickly, dusting off his clothes as he stood. He suddenly realized how ratty he looked. His clothes were tattered, his hair was a mess, and every part of him was covered in a fine layer of dirt._

_ "Have you found the Avatar?"_

_ "No, but –"_

_ "No? How dare you return here without capturing the Avatar?"_

_ Zuko cringed. "Please, let me –"_

_ "Let you what? Stay? I'm tired of hearing that. I gave you your chance, and now it's done." With that, Ozai sent a bolt of lightning at Zuko, who rolled out of the way just in time. He stared, horrified, at the scorch mark on the floor where his head had been moments before. That shot would have killed him. Looking at his father's face, he realized that Ozai had every intention of doing just that, so he did the unthinkable – he sent a blast of fire at his father's head._

_ Ozai had no problem blocking the weak flames, since Zuko was still on the floor and was in no position to attack, but it was enough of a distraction that Zuko was able to get to his feet and run._

_ He ran for what seemed like ages, dodging guards and startled noblemen the entire way, and finally escaping out a secret passage that Lu Ten had shown him and blending into the crowds in the city._

_ For days, he saw patrols of guards entering the city and torturing people for information about him. And after a week of this, he saw his father burn a five-year-old girl in the face when she chased her toy ball into the royal procession, and he snapped. He took the dual swords he had stolen from a blacksmith with him into the palace, and as the palace slept, he snuck into the Fire Lord's bedchamber and committed treason._

_ His first stab missed, and he barely evaded the bright fire that his father sent at him._

_ "How could you?" he screamed. "How could you burn her? And burn me? And kill so many of your soldiers?" He took another wild swing._

_ Ozai had a strange look on his face. Part of it was the normal contempt, but part was simple surprise that his son had done something so unexpected and so… not cowardly. It was an evaluating, calculating look. But after a moment, he seemed to decide that this unforeseen violence still didn't make his son useful enough to be bothered with._

_ His surprise kept him from retaliating long enough for the guards to run into the room and subdue the wayward prince, though Zuko put up a good fight and wounded several of them. _

_ "Put him in the Boiling Rock."_

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**A/N:** Short, but at least it's an update? Hopefully you liked. And next chapter should feature Azula, and explain her odd behavior last chapter.

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Another chapter! Sorry for the wait, Zuko was being uncooperative. :( Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it was all you reviewers that finally got me to sit down and write something even though it was like pulling teeth...**

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Azula watched and smirked as the Warden turned into a blubbering mess in front of her. All she had needed to do was simply mention Zuko's name, and he fell apart. It was good to be feared. But after a few minutes his sobs began to irritate her. She was getting nothing from this, so she reached out to where he was kneeling and yanked his face up so his gaze met hers.

"I asked you a simple question, and you can't even answer me properly? I just wanted to know who else was missing, and which direction they went. Don't worry, you're not in trouble," she said in her most soothing voice.

Mai looked on in worry. She knew that when Azula's voice calmed, it meant she was at her most dangerous. And while she didn't exactly like the man, the Warden was still her uncle, and that meant something.

"S-southwest, your highness," he stuttered. "I think the other one missing was that Water Tribe pirate, I don't remember his name, please don't hurt me, this has been the first time anything like this has happened, we've made security better-"

Mai flinched as Azula struck her uncle across the face. He fell to the floor and stayed there. Mai didn't move, though, knowing that any action of hers to help her uncle would be considered betraying Azula.

The princess sighed. "Throw him in the cooler for a few days," she ordered the nearby guards before turning to face Mai and Ty Lee. "Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe is most likely the one that pathetic man was talking about."

"Isn't it his kids traveling with the Avatar, Azula?" Ty Lee asked happily. "That means we've found him!"

"That was almost smart of you, Ty Lee," Azula cooed. Only Mai caught the brief flicker of hurt that passed over the acrobat's face before it was replaced by a bright smile. "But yes, we ought to be able to follow them to the Avatar. It will doubtless be a long trip, I want the two of you to get to the coast and have a boat stocked. I will follow the prisoners to the shore and meet you at Rock Cove."

She walked off to find a mount.

"Why Rock Cove?" asked Ty Lee.

"It's the only place to the southwest that's hidden from the rest of the beach," Mai answered in a monotone. She spared a glance for her uncle, being dragged off towards the cells, before walking quickly away to do as Azula asked, Ty Lee trotting behind.

Azula followed tracks for days, wondering why in the hell they were so meandering. A few times she almost thought she was following the wrong set of tracks, that she had gotten confused, but she reassured herself that her tracking skills were brilliant and the water tribe man simply was lost. After a week or so, though, she finally came upon a camp where her brother was joined by not only one, but two water tribe savages. She watched one night in entertainment as one of the savages hit her brother in the face. But after a while, their interactions grew friendlier, and she became furious.

Once they finally made it to the ocean, she couldn't stand it anymore. And besides, if she put in an appearance, they might be more motivated to run back to the Avatar faster than they had left the island. They had been taking their sweet time getting to shore. So, she paid them a little visit – and to her surprise, she got a chi-blocked arm in return. But it was fine, she rationalized as she walked along the beach to the ship that Mai and Ty Lee had better have waiting for her, because she would follow and get revenge.

She wore a nasty smile on her face as she walked. It was going to be much more fun to break Zuzu now that he had finally grown a spine.

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Ty Lee didn't like this. Azula's aura had turned an even darker red than usual, it seemed to be overtaking those little bits of yellow and green and blue that had rarely found the chance to bloom there. For a long time Ty Lee had delighted in trying to make little bits of happiness flare across Azula's aura, but she hadn't had much luck for a long time. Especially since Zuko had escaped. And now being on a boat for days on end certainly wasn't helping matters. One of the less well-known facts about the Fire Nation princess was that she was prone to occasional bouts of seasickness, though she confined herself to her room every time she felt ill so that nobody would see her being weak. Every time she had come out of her room she had bitten people's heads off.

"Mai?" she asked, holding herself in a handstand for practice. Mai was in the corner of the room sharpening her many knives.

"Yes?" the other girl replied in her usual monotone.

"Why is it so important to Azula to hunt Zuko? I don't really understand. She used to like him a lot, when we were kids, even when she was being mean her aura still showed how much she liked him."

Mai sighed and put down her knives. "Listen, Ty Lee. Please don't go repeating this to anyone else. You don't have family that's easily found, but the rest of us do, and we can't get be caught questioning orders."

The acrobat came out of her handstand. "I know that, but what if she asks us to kill Zuko? If her aura keeps getting darker, it won't be long before she'll ask us to do something like that." Only the most observant of people could have noticed Mai go pale, but it happened – a subtle lightening of the skin that to Ty Lee was as obvious as a shout. Perhaps she wasn't the smartest person around, but she was more observant than she seemed and if nothing else, she knew her friends.

"If it comes to that, we'll deal with it. I know you have always been closer to Azula than Zuko, so I understand if you stay with her, but if it comes to that then I know which side I'll pick." Mai's voice didn't waver even once as she discussed the possibility of her friends trying to kill one another. She had rarely been so thankful that she had trained herself out of open expression. She still thought of baby turtleducks and flaming apples every time she thought of Zuko, and she couldn't bear to think of destroying that.

"I don't want to fight anyone, Mai. I just want to make people happy."

"I know."

A loud knock sounded on the door to their room, and they were both startled – though Mai barely showed it, just a slight tremor of her hands and around her eyes. She picked up her knives and continued sharpening, and Ty Lee sunk down in to the splits before calling "Come in!"

One of the many seemingly faceless guards on the ship opened the door, bowing slightly as he stepped into the room. "The princess requests your presence in the command room."

"Those were her exact words?" Mai drawled.

"Please don't make me repeat her actual words, ma'am," the soldier said, squirming slightly, obviously uncomfortable.

Ty Lee's face morphed into a look of alarm before clearing. Both of the women stood and exited the room quickly, navigating through the bowels of the ship with practiced ease. Neither of them so much as blinked when they passed off-duty guards playing drinking games, gambling, or getting handsy in a corner. The guards didn't pay any mind to them, either, knowing not to get involved in the affairs of the nobles if they could avoid it.

They opened the door to the command room mere minutes after the guard had arrived with the summons, but Azula immediately spat, "What took you so long?" She was leaning against a large round table that had a map spread across it. Several soldiers surrounded her, including the ship's navigator, who looked highly uncomfortable.

"This idiot," she continued, "has somehow managed to let us drift too far West for the majority of a day!"

"I'm sorry, Princess –" he started to say, but she turned slightly and held a flaming hand to his face without so much as looking. He quickly fell silent and backed away.

Azula turned toward her two friends, a look of seeming innocence on her face. "I want to know what you think should be done about this."

Ty Lee jumped in immediately. "We can set the course right again, can't we? Why don't we just forget and –" she fell silent when Mai twitched her hand slightly, realizing it wasn't an answer the princess would be happy with.

Mai cursed internally, knowing that the acrobat had probably just failed whatever sort of test Azula had designed for the two of them. "We can't just forget such incompetence," she spoke smoothly, hoping to distract the princess from Ty Lee's blunder. "We have no use for a navigator who can't navigate. Why leave him on the ship? I would drop him off on an island and leave him there." If she remembered right, there were a number of small islands in the area that saw a decent amount of traffic from traders traveling between villages.

Azula seemed to ponder this for a moment. "You're right, Mai. We don't need him on this ship. We don't have the time to get to an island, though. Captain! Throw this man off the side of the ship."

The captain paled, but moved quickly and escorted the navigator out of the cabin, afraid of the retribution if he didn't follow orders quickly.

Ty Lee looked like she was about to cry. She was friendly with everyone in the crew, and a few of them had opened up to her for lack of anything better to do while on duty. One thing the navigator had told her was that a shoulder injury a few months ago made it nearly impossible for him to swim.

"That was all," Azula said, turning her attention back to the map. Ty Lee and Mai quickly left for the relative safety of their own room. As soon as the door closed, Mai found herself with a sobbing armful.

"I can't do it, I can't! She'll want us to h-hurt Zuko and I just c-can't do it!"

Mai just sighed and let Ty Lee cry, hoping that it wouldn't come to that. Somewhere deep down, though, she knew she couldn't keep pretending to be Azula's for much longer.

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Zuko woke in the morning as a sharp rock poked him in the side. He rolled over, trying to get away from it, but another rock poked him in the stomach, so he reluctantly opened his eyes to figure out why there were suddenly sharp rocks on a beach that had seemed so smooth the night before. There was a face right in front of his.

"What the hell?" he muttered as he pushed himself backwards, putting distance between himself and the face so he could process for a moment. Oh, right. The blind earthbender.

"I thought you people were supposed to rise with the sun, Sparky."

"I woke up. Then I went back to sleep."

She laughed, a broad grin crossing her face. "I like you," she announced openly. Zuko stared, perplexed by the blatant honesty. "Up and at 'em and all that, Sparky. Sugar Queen has breakfast, and she'll be cranky if you're any later."

"Fine," Zuko groaned, pulling himself up and following Toph back to the camp. There was another fire burning merrily with a pot hung over it.

"I hope you don't mind oatmeal," the waterbender said. She handed him a bowl, Toph bent a seat for him, and silence fell for a few minutes.

"You look pink on your ear," the Avatar exclaimed. "Are you sunburned? I didn't think that firebenders could burn, I mean from the sun, of course they can burn otherwise, and-" He shut up when Katara gave him a sharp look.

Zuko reached up to his unscarred ear. Sure enough, it stung at the touch. "We can't bend in our sleep, you know," he said, admittedly more harshly than was necessary. Katara frowned at him but didn't comment.

"So what were you in for?" the earthbender asked with a grin. "Must've been something special to get you landed in the Boiling Rock."

"Sokka asked me the same question as soon as he met me, you know." Toph and Sokka gave each other looks (or in Toph's case, a glare in the general direction of Sokka) of horror at the comparison. "I threw fire at the Fire Lord."

Toph whistled. "I knew I liked you."

Katara frowned. "Why aren't you eating?"

Zuko realized he had been holding the bowl of oatmeal for several minutes without taking a single bite. He dug his spoon in, grimacing at the gooey strings that followed it as he lifted it up, and tentatively tried it. It wasn't as bad as he would have expected, given the way it looked, but it was far too sweet for his tastes. She must have dumped an entire pot of honey in while she was cooking it, and she hadn't bothered to put in any spice at all. She was looking at him with an expectant expression. "It's nice?" he tried.

The waterbender scowled, obviously picking up on the question in his voice. "If you don't like it, you can make lunch," she snapped. She didn't like him. He was a firebender, and firebenders had destroyed her village and killed her mother. But he had helped bring her father back to her, if her father and brother were to be believed, and this confused her. And she was sick of her cooking never being appreciated. She had even added extra honey to celebrate her father coming back! It was a long tradition in the tribe, whenever hunting parties would get back, to cook something sweet to welcome them back and give them the extra calories they had expended while hunting. At least her father had noticed and smiled while eating it.

She turned to Aang. "Do you want to practice waterbending?" she asked, wanting something to distract her from the awkward disappointment.

His face lit up. "Sure!" he exclaimed, immediately dropping his bowl and jumping up in excitement. They walked down towards the ocean, Katara pulling off her dress to avoid getting it wet. Her underclothes were covering enough. She waded in slowly, the pull of the ocean against her feet feeling strange, because she could never wade in the ocean at home, it was too cold. But it still felt like home because her element was surrounding her and the pull was like a welcome.

Breathing in deeply, she raised her arms and saw tentacles forming around her. She sent one to splash at Aang, and he laughed, sending a small wave back at her, which she split so it diverted around her. She let the tentacles go, instead forming a ball that she and Aang began passing back and forth, forming strange shapes out of it. As they did, Toph began sending rocks at Aang, forcing him to dodge while still concentrating on keeping the water shaped.

"Is that a cat-owl?" a voice from the beach asked in evident surprise. It was Hakoda.

Katara jumped, forgetting there were people watching, but didn't drop the water. She was proud of that, being able to see how far she had come. And her dad – her dad! – was watching her and getting to see her skill. She hoped nobody noticed her eyes tearing up.

"It is, I wasn't sure you'd be able to tell," she finally said after working the lump out of her throat.

Hakoda was studying the water closely. "You've really got the shape down perfectly. I can even see all the individual whiskers." He beamed at her.

Zuko saw the expression of delight on the man's face and his face darkened. He looked at the saccharine mush in his bowl instead. Katara was his daughter, he knew, of course he would be proud of her. But it didn't keep him from wanting that expression to be directed at him instead, and it annoyed him that he wanted it so badly. He shouldn't need that sort of validation.

Looking across from him, he realized that he and Sokka were the only ones still sitting around the campfire, the others all down to near the water, watching (or listening to, he supposed with Toph) Katara and Aang. He was surprised to see that Sokka's expression mirrored his own.

Sokka noticed him looking and shrugged. "She's the waterbender. That's pretty darn important in the South Pole."

Zuko knew the feeling. For some reason, seeing Sokka so miserable made him feel he had to say something. "Mine's the firebender. Or the good one, anyway."

They stared for another moment before Sokka suddenly decided that it was getting too awkward. "Want to go fishing? I found a few pools last night a bit down the beach that have a lot of fish."

"Sure."

Sokka turned and yelled at the rest of the group. "We're going fishing!"

Toph turned and grinned at them, but nobody else acknowledged the statement.

"Well, at least Toph knows we're gone. Let's go!" Sokka turned and marched off with exaggerated motions, hands pumping in the air.

Zuko felt the corner of his mouth twitch at Sokka's antics. Agni help him, he was starting to like the idiot.

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**A/N: So Sokka and Zuko are avoiding emotional stuff, as guys do (you won't get away with it for long, haha). All the stuff about Katara's cooking? Completely made up, but it seems to me like the cooking style would have been a bit of a problem beyond sea prunes not being widely available. A lot of headcanon like this will probably be making an appearance at some point during this story.**

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